ALMOST 20 years to the day, the last train driver to work on an historic York railway got back in the cab - thanks to an appeal by the Evening Press.

Ken Bell drove the last train on the old Derwent Valley Light Railway (DVLR) before it closed in 1981.

Part of the railway is now running again at Murton, thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers who have lovingly restored it over the last ten years.

To commemorate the day the railway closed - September 27, 1981 - members of the Derwent Valley Light Railway wanted to find the last driver.

An appeal was placed in a recent Evening Press Yesterday Once More Feature - and Ken, 51, was soon traced to his Dunnington home.

Ken, now a farm worker, said: "It's great to see the line working again.

"So much of it has vanished now, whether it is in someone's field, garden or whatever, so this is a really nice moment."

DVLR spokesman Mark Waudby said: "It was great to trace Ken, and to see him back on the railway was quite a poignant moment for DVLR members.

"Twenty years is a very important anniversary and we were always going to commemorate it.

"The fact Ken is here has made it even more special."

Updated: 10:46 Wednesday, October 03, 2001